Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning

Despite advancements in project management education, project failures remain common, often due to insufficient experience and skills. Games offer a valuable platform for teaching practical project management skills, allowing players to learn from mistakes without significant economic costs. However...

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Main Authors: Alf Inge Wang, Vegard Aas Knutsen, Eivind Askestad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Computers and Education Open
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666557324000661
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author Alf Inge Wang
Vegard Aas Knutsen
Eivind Askestad
author_facet Alf Inge Wang
Vegard Aas Knutsen
Eivind Askestad
author_sort Alf Inge Wang
collection DOAJ
description Despite advancements in project management education, project failures remain common, often due to insufficient experience and skills. Games offer a valuable platform for teaching practical project management skills, allowing players to learn from mistakes without significant economic costs. However, many serious games in this field lack focus on engagement and motivation. The ''Software Project Management Game'' introduced in this article addresses these issues by incorporating motivational game design principles, drawing inspiration from entertainment games like Game Dev Tycoon and The Sims. The game ensures a smooth flow without unnecessary interruptions, putting players in control. Players progress through five projects of increasing complexity, gradually developing their skills and learning soft skills and task dependencies. This article details the design, implementation, and evaluation of the game, focusing on gameflow, intrinsic motivation, perceived learning, and usability. The results indicate that the game successfully balances enjoyment and learning, making it an effective tool for teaching core project management skills.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
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series Computers and Education Open
spelling doaj-art-6729adfa6bd04853ad3a4d4bf3df7e872025-08-20T01:47:54ZengElsevierComputers and Education Open2666-55732024-12-01710022610.1016/j.caeo.2024.100226Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learningAlf Inge Wang0Vegard Aas Knutsen1Eivind Askestad2Corresponding author.; Dept. of Computer Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Sælandsvei 9, Trondheim N7491, NorwayDept. of Computer Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Sælandsvei 9, Trondheim N7491, NorwayDept. of Computer Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Sælandsvei 9, Trondheim N7491, NorwayDespite advancements in project management education, project failures remain common, often due to insufficient experience and skills. Games offer a valuable platform for teaching practical project management skills, allowing players to learn from mistakes without significant economic costs. However, many serious games in this field lack focus on engagement and motivation. The ''Software Project Management Game'' introduced in this article addresses these issues by incorporating motivational game design principles, drawing inspiration from entertainment games like Game Dev Tycoon and The Sims. The game ensures a smooth flow without unnecessary interruptions, putting players in control. Players progress through five projects of increasing complexity, gradually developing their skills and learning soft skills and task dependencies. This article details the design, implementation, and evaluation of the game, focusing on gameflow, intrinsic motivation, perceived learning, and usability. The results indicate that the game successfully balances enjoyment and learning, making it an effective tool for teaching core project management skills.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666557324000661Software project managementGame-based learningIntrinsic MotivationGameflowExperiment
spellingShingle Alf Inge Wang
Vegard Aas Knutsen
Eivind Askestad
Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning
Computers and Education Open
Software project management
Game-based learning
Intrinsic Motivation
Gameflow
Experiment
title Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning
title_full Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning
title_fullStr Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning
title_full_unstemmed Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning
title_short Balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game-based learning
title_sort balancing enjoyment and learning in teaching software project management with game based learning
topic Software project management
Game-based learning
Intrinsic Motivation
Gameflow
Experiment
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666557324000661
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